Listing and Our Advisory Service

Here we explain the relationship between listing and our advisory service, including what designation means for a heritage asset.

The formal designation of heritage assets helps us to identify and celebrate England's historic buildings, monuments, parks, gardens, battlefields and wreck sites, by highlighting their significance in a national context. It identifies an asset or site as having particular significance within the historic environment and ensures this receives due attention through the planning system.

When we are involved in pre-application discussions, our local development management staff can help with identifying how the particular significance of designated individual assets can best be managed in the development of proposals.

There are nearly 400,000 nationally designated assets on the National Heritage List for England (NHLE). We administer and curate this on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Amendments to the 1990 Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act in 2013 mean anyone can apply at any time for a Certificate of Immunity from listing (COI) for a structure that might be regarded as being of architectural or historic interest. The quality of information supplied with an application will be a key factor in determining whether we can proceed with the request. The decision on whether to issue a COI is made by the Secretary of State.